State-Aided College Teacher, Department of History, Gazole Mahavidyalaya

Malda, West Bengal, India

Abstract:

In the aftermath of Indian partition (1947), Malda district (northern West Bengal) became a focal point for refugees from East Pakistan. Successive waves – beginning with the 1946 Noakhali–Tippera riots and culminating in post-1949 communal violence – altered Malda’s demography and strained its resources. Using archival sources (census records, government reports, legislative debates) and recent historiography, this article reconstructs the pattern of influx (refugee totals by year, origin districts) and critically assesses relief and rehabilitation policies. The study shows that Malda’s district administration initially treated refugees as temporary asylum seekers, but by 1950 was forced to expand camps, lease urban land, and sanction colonies. However, relief was uneven: wealthier refugees often rebuilt lives relatively quickly, whereas many poor peasants languished in camps or as squatters. Finally, the analysis situates Malda within broader debates on partition refugees – including alternative narratives of agency versus victimhood – and highlight how Malda’s case exposes the limits of state planning and the persistence of “partition as process” in Bengal.